Cover your ears... here it comes.

Diet.

Yep, I said it again. Here's why.... for the first time in my life, I am on a diet. After a long winter and a some very comfortable eating habits, I put on some pounds. With summer looming and my favorite outdoor mega concert in a few months, I decided I needed to get my butt in gear and get ready for shirt off weather.

So I did a LOT of research on some diet options out there. I have shared many diet options in discussions in previous posts, I'll re-post them soon. After looking into several, I decided to go with a program that Men's Health Magazine offers online. The Personal Trainer program that they offer has a complete online community and offers a complete program including full menu, exercise program, and advice from coaches and nutritionists. There is a community forum, and lots of support.

Each day when you log in to your "Locker" you have a custom meal plan (with recipes). The nice thing is that you can swap meals or just foods within a meal to adjust to what food you have on hand. It sets the calories for the day, as well as fat, protein and carbs. There are different diets that you can choose from to fit your goals.

There is also a workout plan for the day. You have several different options when you choose what workout plan you want. You can have it all at the gym, or no gym time at all. All free weights, or all machines. Once you choose a plan, it tracks your progress, gives you goals, and even shows you videos and animations of how to do each exercise.

Over the next couple of posts I'll share more about my experiences, especially some suggestions for the initial set up. Overall, it seems like a great program. There are some things that were difficult at first, but I am really happy with my choice. I've already lost 7 pounds in the last two weeks...

Stay Tuned!!